The Last of the Spirit Walkers
by The Dishonored Wolf
Summary: Before the time of Kate and Humphrey, before the hostilities between the Western and Eastern packs of Jasper, a young grey wolf named Winston had to undergo a journey that most would call suicide, one to save all life on the planet. This is the story of Winston and his trials - he will undergo pain, suffering, an a terrible betrayal that will change his life forever.
1. A Long Time Ago, In A Far Land

**A/N: Look up these two songs:**

**Dead Space 3 Soundtrack: 200 Years Ago, On an Icy Planet (Play Immediately)**

**Dead Space 3 Soundtrack: The Quick and the Dead (pause at 4:28 mark)**

**ACT I – The Timeless Spirit**

**Year: 53,492 B.C.E.**

Snow blanketed the earth, blizzards blocking all sight from their eyes. Two dire wolves walked forward, their paws crunching throw the deep snow. Ice had started to form on their thickening winter pelts, their lips barred back, snow covering their dark-furred bodies. One carried a medallion wrapped around his neck, three golden prongs embedded on its circular surface, the depiction of a wolf in the center of the prongs. They had been traveling for endless moons, unable to find a way out of the eternal blizzard. They couldn't see more than several meters ahead of them. Low growls and screeches in the distance plagued them, paranoia setting in as they walked forward. Their piercing green eyes glared ahead, knowing that if they did not complete their task, then the world was doomed to fall to darkness.

"This is all just a waste of time!" One snarled. He spat out snow, sneezing. He growled and looked to his companion. "We don't even know if the Promethean will solve any of this!"

"It's our best shot, Cormen!" The other growled. "The Shaman wouldn't just direct us out here and spend half of his life making this," he motioned toward the medallion. "If he didn't think it would work!"

"Yeah, if he didn't think it would work!" Cormen pointed out. "Falin, this is all just theory for Lupus' sake! We don't know if this will do a single damn thing!"

"Well do you have any better ideas?" Falin snarled. "We already spent seven moons getting here; the Mountain of the Dark Spirits could be just over the next rise!"

"You've been saying that for moons," Cormen growled, averting his gaze. "I'd much rather be with my pups than with you on this damned fool's journey." Falin looked away and kept walking forward, not saying another word. They'd been over this topic all too many times in their journey. The blizzards had not ceased since their journey began. Cormen had threatened to leave Falin to this journey alone more times than he could count, but he stood by his friend's side the whole time. He knew that Falin couldn't make it on his own, no matter how much Falin would persist and say he could do just fine without him.

So they kept going on, the two dire wolves searching relentlessly through the planes of snow and ice for the Mountain of the Dark Spirits. There, they would find the Promethean and their years of work would finally be completed. Or at least, they would be far closer to stopping the darkness than they were before. The problem, however, was that they'd been searching for the mountain for almost a year and they didn't even know what the Promethean was. They didn't know how to use it or how it would help them at all.

Falin forced another step, his paws numbing and the snow solidifying underneath him, slickening a bit. He lost his pawing and slipped, falling with a yelp. Cormen leapt forward and grabbed his scruff, sinking his claws into the hard, slick snow. They grinded to a halt, Cormen growling from the icy pressure he felt on his claws. Falin dug his claws into the snow and they stopped. Cormen let go of his scruff and the two panted heavily.

"Thanks," Falin gasped. "I owe you." Cormen growled and scratched his muzzle.

"You've owed me a long time," he snarled, the two climbing back up the slope. The visibility had not improved, and it only seemed to have gotten colder. Despite their thick pelts, they could feel the cold seeping into their limbs. Falin led the way once more, the medallion seeming to feel even heavier around his neck. It began to burn against his chest. He rolled his eyes, growling and forcing himself ahead. Cormen walked beside him, the two hearing more sounds ahead. Something darted to the right, the two stopping, unsheathing their claws and barring their fangs. A streak of grey ran past them, growling deeply. Cormen's eyes narrowed and he ushered Falin forward when they began to see more traces of life – particularly, human life.

Cormen growled when he saw the scattered remnants of the long, pointed sticks they used to impale their victims. Something, however, was very wrong. Blood stained the snow, pieces of humans' removable pelts frozen and discarded. To the right was a destroyed human den, the thing the Shaman said they called "tents." A small fire blazed as it began to burn the tent. Ahead, a human corpse lay. It was covered in dark blood, its head and limbs torn off and its chest and belly ripped open, the shattered ribs jutting outward, the internal organs strewn about. Falin and Cormen were disgusted; this wasn't a kill for food – these creatures killed because they could, to do it for fun and destruction, to mangle the bodies as they saw fit. Not even the hated humans were so disrespectful that they'd kill without purpose!

Suddenly, one of them stepped clearly into view. It was like a winter fox in form, but its body rippled with muscle and its red eyes glared with the fury of hell itself. Its body rippled more and its face caved in on itself, its ears flicking back and long fangs growing outward. It roared, blood spitting from its jaws. Cormen growled and stepped in front of the creature. It leapt forward, grabbing Cormen by the neck. It bit down hard, blood spurting from Cormen's neck.

"Cormen!" Falin howled. Cormen growled and grabbed the creature by the neck, ripping at its face with his claws.

"GO, FALIN!" He snarled. More of the creatures attacked Cormen, Falin running away. In the distance, he could see a large, dark mountain jutting into the sky. He growled and ran for it, the creatures hot on his tail. He could feel their hot, fetid breathing on him. He gasped, the icy air sheering his lungs as he ran forward. One tackled him down, snarling. Falin kicked it off, the creature sliding to the edge of the cliffs and falling off. It yelped and smashed into the rock ledges as it fell far below to the earth.

He ran forward, an ice bridge allowing him to cross the chasm ahead to the dark mountain. A cave opened into the mountain, Falin's eyes narrowing. Some of the creatures slipped and fell off of the ice bridge while in pursuit of him. Falin, however, dug his claws into the surface of the bridge and took massive leaps forward. His far larger size and agility in comparison to the creatures gave him the utmost advantage in this situation. That did not, however, mean that he was any more susceptible to being killed by the creatures, of which had proven to be incredibly dangerous, even to dire wolves such as himself and Cormen. He leapt to the other side of the bridge, landing on the black rock of the mountain.

He gritted his fangs and glared upward, unsheathing his claws and digging them into the rock, pulling himself upward. The howling wind swept around him, snow and ice hitting him as he climbed. The creatures snarled and screamed, jumping on the mountain's slopes as well, climbing after him feverishly. His breathing escalated and he jumped to the side, his claws digging into a small ledge. He dangled over the edge, pulling himself upward. He looked back, the creatures leaping for him. Three leapt but did not make it. A forth jumped from the mountain, landed on one of its companions, and leapt from its back, catching the ledge. More of them grabbed onto the forth that had successfully made it, all of them climbing up on the ledge. Falin's eyes widened in shock and he leapt up the slope, scrambling up the slope. Any loose rocks or ice chunks he found he kicked down at them to throw them off balance or knock them off the mountain. He succeeded in knocking off two, but more and more kept coming for him.

With a snarl, he propelled himself forward and grabbed the edge of the cave, pulling himself inside. He ran forward into its dark depths, refusing to look back. He took random turns in the spider-webbed tunnels of the mountain. Finally, he skidded to a halt and looked back. The creatures were not following him. He looked forward, breathing heavily, his breath visible in the caves. He looked down at the medallion – it was now glowing crimson in the darkness of the cave. He narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath, going forward. Despite everything that had transpired, he still had a mission to do. He heard something in his mind – a voice.

_Falin, did you find the mountain? _The voice spoke. Falin looked upward, reaching out to the voice in his mind.

_Shaman?_ He asked. He sensed a confirmation telepathically. _I thought you needed to be close for us to Mind Speak._

_After we did not hear from you, I decided to leave the pack and find you two, finish the mission if need be,_ the Shaman replied. _Where is Cormen? I cannot sense his mind._ Falin shook his head, transmitting the memory of Cormen's demise. _Ah, I see. We can finish this mission, Falin. I am already in the Mountain of the Dark Spirits, near the core. You are not far, just follow the medallion._

_We should mourn Cormen,_ Falin said. _We must by Pack Law._

_He can be mourned later!_ The Shaman snarled. Falin was taken aback by the forcefulness of his mental speak. _We must end this now if you wish for any future pups to have a world to live in!_ Falin nodded. Despite his reluctance, he knew that the Shaman was right. He walked forward, the medallion leading him in the direction he needed to go. Within the mountain, a massive cavern existed. Three bridges led into the center, a rock pedestal resting on the center platform. It was much like the medallion's form: a circle with three prongs leading to a central object. Falin looked about but did not see the Shaman. He walked across the stone bridge toward the pedestal, looking about. The silence was quite unnerving. The only noise came from the soft click of his claws on the stone bridge. He looked over the edge and saw nothing but a dark, cavernous pit below. He reached the central platform and looked at the surface. Small depictions of each and every animal species were carved into the rock. He looked at the pedestal and took a shaky breath. In the center was a small piece where the medallion could be inserted.

He lowered his head and the medallion dropped to the ground, a small, metallic ring coming from the sound. It echoed throughout the cavern, a low, deep growl coming from far below. Falin whipped around, looking about the cavern for the source of the sound. He couldn't find anything. He glared at the medallion and grabbed it in his fangs, placing it on the pedestal. Nothing happened.

"Fine work, my friend," the Shaman said. He jumped in surprise, turning to see the old wolf behind him, the dark green spirit markings fading into his fur. Falin stood straighter.

"Shaman, sir!" Falin greeted. "I didn't see you arrive."

"That much is clear, whelp," he growled. "This age of ice and terror has gone on long enough. Did you place the medallion where it should be?" Falin nodded and motioned to the pedestal. The Shaman retrieved the medallion, pulling it from the pedestal and smashing it into the side. Falin stared at him in shock and disbelief.

"Shaman, that was to end the threat!" Falin gaped at him. The Shaman snarled at him.

**A/N: Play the second song now**

"We lost control!" The Shaman snarled. "Fenrir has condemned us to this eternal winter and now we must pay the price! The destruction of the medallion is only the beginning; it will delay the winter for another fifty five thousand years until it will return."

"Why not now?" Falin growled. "Why condemn our grandpups to fight this?"

"It is not our place to end this, and we cannot continue without Cormen; he was crucial to ending this. We can, however, spare too many deaths in the future with our own sacrifice."

"What are you talking about?" Falin asked, looking at the Shaman. He walked about, circling Falin.

"The Ancients require a sacrifice of two warriors and a Spirit Walker," he said. "Without Cormen, we cannot do all that is required. You and I, however…we can spare the future of three deaths. It will not only be one that is required, one more warrior." Suddenly, Falin realized what the Shaman was saying. Before he could react, the Shaman lashed out, shoving an icicle into Falin's skull. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell to the ground in a pool of blood. The Shaman took the prongs, the ring, and the wolf symbol of the medallion and looked into the pit.

"Ancients," he whispered. "Allow the pieces of the nanuak to find the next Spirit Walker and be combined to end the wrath of Fenrir." He tossed the pieces into the cavern, and then looked up into the cavern. He took the icicle and wrenched his paw sideways, ripping out his throat, and a torrent of his own Life Blood falling from his neck. He landed beside the body of Falin, the two wolves bleeding into the stone.

**A/N: And you all thought I was leaving the archive for a long time! Come on now, I can't just leave you all hanging after just one trilogy! You know how many ideas run through my mind? A LOT! This is a new one that I'm really excited to do, and I have another story planned after it as well! Until next time!**

**-The Dishonored Wolf**


	2. We Must Tell Them

"_Come on, Humphrey!" Kate grinned at him from up the hill. Humphrey gasped for air, breathing heavily, his tongue lolling out, drool falling from his lips. Kate laughed and bounded up the hill a ways. "Oh come on, Humph! It's just another few miles!"_

_ "We've been running," he gasped. "For _hours_! I'm not built like Alphas!" Kate's amber eyes gleamed as she watched her mate climb the hill. She was energetic, bouncing slightly on her paws. She didn't know why, but on this particular day, she was quite…well…jumpy! She couldn't explain the odd phenomena, but when she awoke in her den that morning, she just had to run! Unfortunately, Humphrey decided to join her and paid the price – they'd, in truth, run for nearly five straight hours, a total of nearly twenty two miles non-stop since the break of dawn. Humphrey hadn't even had the time to relieve himself or eat, the poor Omega running around with a full bladder and empty belly. Now, he looked completely exhausted, ready to collapse. Just as she had the thought, Humphrey flopped to the ground, panting incessantly. _

_ She smiled at him kindly and padded to him, lying down beside her beloved mate, wrapping an arm around him. He grinned and licked her cheek, causing her to giggle. She rested her head on the top of his neck, looking about. She began to realize just how fatigued and exhausted she was as well as they lay there on the hill. She couldn't even imagine how Humphrey felt. She looked down and nibbled his ear, then clambered on top of him and licked his neck. He smiled and looked up at her, Kate pushing his head down gently as she continued licking him._

_ He did not object; if anything, he enjoyed the treatment from his mate. Even Kate seemed to truly enjoy it. In fact, Humphrey started to realize that Kate liked it a bit too much. His mind swam as he tried to figure out why she was doing this. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he realized that they were in the spring season. She was in heat. He looked up at her again and their eyes locked. Now he saw it: the lustful hunger that was indefinitely the heat eating her away from the inside. He grinned and licked her nose, rolling her over on her back. She purred with delight as he licked her cheek. She licked him back, looking at him seductively. He grinned and kissed her, lowering toward her._

_**Winston**_

_ "Now, monsieur," Marcel directed, giving Winston the wooden club. Paddy gave Tony the other. They held the clubs in their jaws and looked at the small, spherical rocks. In the distance was a short trimmed patch of grass, a makeshift hole in the center. Winston shared an uneasy glance with Tony as Marcel lined up a shot. "You must aim, become one with the club. Then, pull back, and…swing!" He swung the club, hitting the ball. It landed on the patch of grass that Marcel called the 'green' and it rolled into the hole flawlessly. Winston nodded in congratulation to the bird, but Tony looked completely dumbfounded._

_ "Look, I know you're the first birds we haven't tried to eat before," he growled. "But that doesn't mean we're the first wolves to play this…_whatever_ this is!"_

_ "Ahem," Paddy spoke up. "It is referred to as 'golf,' good sir."_

_ "Paddy, do not be rude," Marcel said warningly, then looked at Winston and Tony. He hit Tony on the head with his club, Tony wincing in pain. "It is called golf you silly wolf!" Tony growled at Marcel as the goose waddled away. Winston smiled at the two, amused by their small exchange. Tony mumbled to himself under his breath, glowering at the goose. Winston took a position near the ball, twisting his head to bring the club up, his eyes centered on the ball. Tony snorted._

_ "You can't be serious!" He sputtered. Winston shrugged and swung back, hitting the ball. He watched it fly high into the air, landing flawlessly into the hole. His eyes widened in shock, Marcel and Paddy clapping for him. _

_ "Splendid work, sir!" Paddy cheered._

_ "Very well done, monsieur," Marcel mused, patting Winston's head. "Good wolfie!" Winston grinned and turned back to Tony, accidently whacking him in the muzzle with his club. Tony fell back, holding his nose. _

_ "Sorry about that, Tony," Winston apologized sincerely. Tony growled and grabbed his club, lining up his ball._

_ "That was a lucky shot," Tony snarled. "Watch this!" He hit the ball, but it went far off course, ricocheting on the trees until it came back and hit him in the head. Winston burst out laughing as Tony fell to the ground, unconscious. Marcel and Paddy were quacking and squawking with laughter, rolling about on the ground. Winston laughed so hard that tears actually started to spring from his eyes. _

_ He lay down and laughed, trying to remember the last time he'd had tears run down his face from laughter. He couldn't recall a time he'd cried laughing, so he tried to remember when he last cried. Finally, he had it. Wow, he thought. I haven't cried since…since… His eyes shot open, freezing. He looked forward blankly, dark memories flashing through his mind. _Snow…ice…the dreaded memory of the carnogrexin…Eve…Jardo…the nanuak…the mountain…blood…humans…monsters…darkness…terror – pure, mind numbing, insatiable, blood curdling terror…death…death…DEATH!

_ He stood up, gasping for air. Marcel, Paddy, and Tony looked at him curiously, trying to figure out what was wrong with Winston. He had a crazed, wild look in his eyes, breathing heavily. Tony padded to him and told him to lie down, helping him do so. His breathing became ragged and he started to shake uncontrollably. _

_ "Quick, go get Eve!" Tony shouted to the panic-stricken birds. The nodded and shot into the air, racing for the Pack Den. Tony returned his attention to Winston, talking him through the heart attack. "It's going to be okay, Winston. Just take deep breaths; you can get through this." Winston's vision started to fade, the heart attack taking hold of him. He shook more, the blood in his body running cold like the eternally frozen rivers of the Dark Mountains. Darkness faded into his vision, the old, tired wolf shaking more, holding himself for warmth. "Winston…Winston…_WINSTON_!"_

_**Mid-Afternoon**_

_ He awoke with a loud gasp, sweat drenching his body underneath his fur. His pelt was matted and smelled of fetid odor, his eyes wild. He searched about and realized he was in his cave. He looked back to the small pool of water in the far rear of the den. He shakily rose to his paws and lowered himself into the water, washing. He finished fairly quickly and shook his fur, padding back out and to the mouth of the den, looking outside. He heard voices and made way to them. He stepped outside and saw Garth holding Lily in a tight embrace as the she-wolf cried gently into his fur. Kate and Humphrey lied beside one another, Humphrey gently licking her as she looked nervously back to the den. Eve padded behind them, carrying herbs, looking strangely calm. Winston stepped out and looked at them. They gasped and rushed to him, his daughters and mater crowding around him and nuzzling him roughly. Marcel and Paddy flew down, watching them._

_ "Daddy, we were so worried!" Kate cried, nuzzling him. Lily said the same, Eve not saying a word, a silent tear running down her cheek. He nuzzled his family and nodded to his sons in law. They nodded back. Tony came up behind them, Hutch walking beside him. _

_ "I have to tell you something," he murmured, lost in thought. "All of you need to hear this."_

_ "Sweetie, you have to rest," Eve cooed gently. "You had a heart attack, you can't go telling grand stories right now."_

_ "No, Evelyn," he growled. She stood back, her eyes wide; he'd not said that name for years. He hadn't said that name since…since…her eyes calmed as a wave of understanding and realization washed over her. She knew full well what he meant. She agreed fully with him; it was time for them to know. She nodded to him slowly and he led them all into the den. He sat slowly to the ground, Eve helping him down. He was quite agile for his old age, but the heart attack beat a lot out of the six year old wolf. He looked at the wolves before him._

_ His daughters, both only two years old, watched him. Humphrey was three years old, Garth as well. Tony was eight. Hutch was four years old. Marcel and Paddy had never disclosed their ages. Eve was five years and nine moons. He looked to her and she nodded. It was time._

_ "I have to tell you all something, lest it haunt me forever more," he breathed shakily. "Tony, you have heard stories of it, but not the whole story. It has to do partly with our own personal hostilities." Tony nodded in understanding. He took a breath and looked at them with renewed confidence. This needed to be told. They needed to know. _

_ "It was four years ago, back when we," he nodded to Eve. "Had just become Alphas of the Western Pack; things were calm for a time, but then everything changed. They prey started to disappear and a winter plagued us for seven moons. A dark red star had appeared in the night sky, one that would eat the moon, the sun, and the entire world whole. We were to be condemned to an ice age that would last all eternity and end in a sea of blood. We were so close to death, so very, very close…we lost friends, some of which you will all know. I may be hated by all of you by the time the moon rises tonight, exiled for my actions and I accept the punishment as I know what happened is dark beyond your most horrible nightmares. _

_ "I have done things that I am not proud of, things that I would give the world to take back. I was a different wolf back then…a bad wolf. I have fought for four years to bury the memories deep, but now I know I must share them, or one day, we will make the same mistakes of the past and result in the repeating of these terrible events. You have to know what happened…you must know what happened…" Eve nodded to him and licked his cheek comfortingly._

_ "It was four years ago…I was three moons away from my second year of life, the winter just breaking away…at least, it broke away for a while…"_

Winston was approximately three moons away from his second birthday, and the only thing he could think of was relaxing with his friends afterward, perhaps even pick up a few of the she-wolves to have a party on his last day in Alpha School, maybe mate with a few if they could keep their muzzles shut. He sat dully on a hill overlooking the school, his eyes wandering over the mountains to the north. His claws drummed rhythmically on the stone, his keen blue eyes scanning the horizon. Some of the new arrivals were now beginning to receive formal orientation. He smirked at them; Winston recalled when he was a runt like that. He was a pup, only a year and a half of age, frightened by the intimidating surroundings and the excess of Alphas glaring at him menacingly. Some spat at him as he walked past, others taunted him. The rest ignored him. Winston quickly grew to learn that to survive in Alpha School, you were to be the best and all others weaker than him were to be crushed under his paw. He wasn't going to be exiled from the school, condemned to a life as an Omega.

The only thing left to do was to survive the rest of his time at the boring school and make it back to Jasper as an Alpha, one that his father could be proud of. The thought of his father made him seethe, barring his fangs, his eyes glaring forward. The worthless disgrace of a Leaderwolf had beaten Winston since he learned to speak, making sure his son was hardened to be a perfect heir to the title of Leaderwolf. Little did his father know, Winston's solitude in the damned Alpha School gained him valuable allies, all of which were able to kill. They would assassinate the Leaderwolf and get Winston the Leaderwolf title. Then, he'd settle down with a mate of his own and beat his pups as his father beat him – a perfect life in leadership. He heard a summoning howl and he rolled his eyes, groaning in contempt. He was going to make sure he never came within a thousand leagues of the school ever again. He couldn't wait to leave the damn place! He stood up and padded casually down the hill, leaping on the rocks to get down. He landed on the dirt surface far below and shook himself, walking forward.

Two of the newly arriving pups came trotting forward to find a den to stay in – a male and a female. Winston sneered at the two and charged them, snarling viciously. They yipped and scrambled away in terror. Winston watched them go with a wide grin and laughed to himself. Pup Scare was perhaps the most entertaining game he'd ever taken part in. He walked forward and stretched his limbs, licking his lips. He padded forward, the Elder Alphas leading the new arrivals through the territory, showing them around. Winston, at the sight of the Elders, did not make an attempt to scare the young'uns. He simply padded past and looked at the pups from the corner of his eye, straightening and making himself appear bolder as to assert authority amongst them.

Suddenly, he looked down on the plains far ahead. A long howl echoed from the plains, summoning Winston to the hunt. He grinned ruefully and quickened his pace, heading down for the plains. The caribou herds rumbled ahead, shaking the earth with each thud of their heavy hooves. The dumb animals were unable to understand that the wolves circling their herd were scouting them out, searching for the old and weak. Winston trotted on the fringes of the herd, scouting with two other grey western pack wolves he'd come to the school with. Although he would rather put on a more gruff impression, he assumed that the only appropriate term to call them were 'friends.'

The male, a blue-eyed wolf named Luke, was perhaps the most likeable wolf in the world. It was almost impossible to be angered by him. Generally laid back and a she-wolf's mutt, he could have easily passed for an Omega. Luckily, he was just as serious and dependable as he was fun-loving and entertaining. He was quite an incredibly skilled hunter and a dangerous fighter, able to take out any opponent with ease. Winston had already been taken down by Luke enough times to vouch for his combat skills on a personal level. Then, there was the she-wolf, Jasmine. A blue-grey furred she-wolf with the odd combination of a left green eye and a brown right eye; she was quite unique in appearance. Beautiful in looks despite her eye complexion, she was sweet and caring toward all of her packmates, particularly Luke. She was hardened on the exterior; a fierce fighter and dangerous hunter, yet soft on the inside, her heart clearly belonging to Luke (something of which Luke seemed to enjoy). Winston always rolled his eyes at the two; they were foolish for falling in love with one another. The last thing he wanted or needed was to grow emotionally attached to a she-wolf. He was the heir to Leaderwolf of Jasper Park; he didn't need a mate to drag him down, at least not for a long time. _Perhaps,_ he thought. _When I'm old and useless I'll have a she-wolf birth pups to take over._

Luke seemed to have spotted one, narrowing his eyes and nodding to the caribou. Winston followed his gaze to an old caribou female. She was limping, clearly lame. He began to trot forward, his eyes locked on the caribou. Jasmine slunk into the tall grass, Luke trotting by, his tongue lolling out, acting as though he did not notice the caribou whatsoever. Suddenly, Jasmine nipped its hind leg. The caribou bellowed and ran forward, the stupid animal running away from the herd. She ran the animal, Winston lying in wait as Luke joined her in pursuit of the prey. The caribou was running in his direction. He began to count down the time until he leapt to tear out its Life Blood. Five…four…three…two…Suddenly, he was smashed into the ground heavily, someone landing on top of him. The caribou leapt over them, running off. Winston scrambled upward and saw the caribou rejoin the herd, running deeper into the crowd. He snarled and slammed his paws into the earth, glaring back. A tawny she-wolf, perhaps a half-moon younger than he, grinned at him sheepishly and clumsily rose to her paws. He glared at her. She had a slightly plump face, her ears flattened in embarrassment. She wasn't the most particularly attractive she-wolf in the world, but she was – he had to admit – inexplicably cute.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He snarled at her. She looked at him, slinking low in shame. "Do you realize that you just ruined our hunt? That was perfect prey!"

"I-I-I…." she stammered. He bit her ear hard, making her yelp. He sank his fangs into her scruff and threw her to the ground, hard. Luke and Jasmine ran over to them to see what was going on.

"What, are you too stupid to even atone to your actions?" Winston continued. She flattened her ears, tears welling in her eyes. "You aren't even fit to be an Alpha! Get out of her you worthless runt! Go, NOW!" She cried and bolted away, her tail tucked tightly between her legs. Winston glared at her as she ran. Luke looked at Winston in shock, Jasmine equally surprised at his actions.

"That was…harsh," Luke commented.

"Poor thing," Jasmine murmured sympathetically. "She probably thought she was part of the hunt and tried to intercept the caribou, not even noticing you, Winston."

"If she can't look where she's going, she's not worth the effort of trying to make her and Alpha," Winston growled. He stalked back to the forest, their hunt failed because of the she-wolf. He called after her, the she-wolf stopping. Even from a distance, he could see her tremble as she looked back. "Run back to your mother you fucking bitch!" She bolted away, her tail tucked tightly between her legs, tears streaming down her face. Winston laughed at her reaction, Luke and Jasmine gaping at him.

_"That's horrible!" Kate exclaimed, looking at her father in shock. Humphrey's eyes were wide as he looked at Winston. It seemed that the only one that wasn't utterly shocked and disgusted by Winston's actions was Eve. Perhaps she'd learned to cope with his past over the years. That or she was messed up enough to fully approve of his actions. Winston nodded, looking down in shame._

_ "Like I said," he rasped. "I've done bad things in my past that I'm not proud of. Luckily," his eye gleamed as he said this. "The story gets better."_

Winston, Luke, and Jasmine returned to the central clearing that night, disappointed that they had not returned with prey. Any wolf that did not catch his or her own prey would be last to eat from the remains left behind in the camp. Suddenly, Winston was slammed to the ground, a low growl in his ear. Luke and Jasmine watched him. Winston looked up to see a large, red-furred eastern wolf snarl at him, his fetid breath stinging Winston's nostrils.

"You worthless runt," he growled. "Can't even catch your own prey, huh? Then you taunt the she-wolf? If I ever hear of another incident like this again, I'll gore you!" He slammed Winston's head into the ground and stalked forward. Winston groaned and lifted himself up.

"Who the hell was that?" Winston growled, spitting out blood.

"Jardo," Luke growled, Jasmine glaring at the back of the red-furred wolf. "You don't find a bigger asshole than that one. Stay clear of him; he's Tony's son and acts like just as much of an asshole as him." Tony was two years older than Winston at the time, a feared and strong Leaderwolf. Obviously, his first son was living up to the name. He saw the she-wolf again from across the clearing, staring at him. He returned the stare until she broke away nervously. Luke laughed and Winston shot him a look.

"Looks like Evelyn admires you," Jasmine laughed at him, smirking. Winston groaned.

**A/N: Hey there all of you sexy people! How'd you like that chapter? WELL YOU BETTER HAVE LIKED IT! Don't worry, I won't force liking on you…as far as YOU KNOW. Sorry, I'm just really happy today! Why am I happy? Well I got a new girlfriend and she's quite possibly the best thing that's ever happened to me! Seriously, she's just AMAZING! And on top of that, she's Croatian, and if you know anything about Croatians, there's one simple fact: ALL CROATIAN GIRLS ARE FREAKING BEAUTIFUL, and this girl is no exception. Ah well, I don't love her for her looks, but that is a damn good upside, right?**

**Anyway, enough about me. Let's talk about Winston. Actually, no let's not. Spoilers are bad for writing. Thanks to Crowwolf for supplying the OCs Jasmine, Luke, and Jardo! I'm really excited for what's going to happen ahead, and I'm really excited to say that many of the events in this story will directly affect what happens in the movie Alpha and Omega. Plot holes like Humphrey's parents, Eve's…issues, Tony's hostility toward Winston and the Western pack, and the origins of Kate and Lily will all be explained here in this story!**

**Thanks to Dawn Walker Wolf, the dark shadow, Alexander, Crowwolf, LilyAndMe, and The-crazy-lone-wolf77 for their reviews on the prologue! Quickly, let me hear your thoughts! What do you think the main plot is of this story? What's the big problem that will change the world and what's Winston got to do with it? I'd like to see your theories! Anyway, thanks for reading and get ready for Chapter Two! And if you read Into the Darkness, you should find one particular, major event in Chapter Two very familiar! NOW STOP LISTENING TO ME! Until next time!**

**-The Dishonored Wolf**


	3. A Strange Morning

_Humphrey looked down, tapping his claws on the ground rhythmically. No one said a word, the den silent as a dead night. Kate and Lily were hit the hardest by the realization of Winston's former mindset and actions. Everyone save for Eve was shocked by what Winston did; everyone had known him as a kindly old wolf, always willing to help others and do only what was best for his family, friends, and pack. His history, however, said something quite differently, putting him in a completely different light than anyone had ever seen him in before. Some of them looked shaken. Humphrey did not say a word, simply looking at his father in law with understanding. He was beaten as a pup by his father and received constant verbal and physical abuse by the Alphas at the school. That kind of pressure was bound to have negative consequential effects on one's mental state. That was how he used to be, but he had clearly changed. He didn't judge a wolf on their past, only on their actions in the present. He still trusted Winston, and he understood fully why he'd been that way. Still, he had one very perplexing question._

_ "Jasmine and Luke," Humphrey spoke up, breaking the silence. Winston seemed to flinch a bit – only Humphrey saw this reaction from him. He looked at Winston with his old eyes. "The way you described them…I think I've seen them before." Winston nodded and smiled a bit._

_ "They were good friends of yours when you were young," Winston said kindly. "They loved pups, and you were their favorite to play with. They loved you very much."_

_ "Where are they now?" Hutch asked, confused. "I've seen them before when I was just a pup, but I haven't seen them since then." Winston sighed and shook his head._

_ "I'm not sure where they are now," Winston admitted, looking upward toward the hole in the top of the den. "They left long ago…" Humphrey nodded. It was quite common for wolves to leave their main pack to start a family of their own. He sighed – they were probably the only parent figures he ever had and they'd left the pack. Humphrey didn't know who his parents were or what happened to them. It didn't seem that anyone knew for that matter. He looked at Kate, wondering what was going through her mind. _

_ Against his will, he regretfully looked over her body, remembering what they'd done earlier that day. He suppressed a sly smile. She saw his brief stare out of the corner of her eye and smirked at him, flicking his face with her tail. Winston stretched and lapped water from the small pool, turning back to look at them. Thus, he continued his story._

Winston groaned and stood up, looking about his small den. Beside him lay a she-wolf, her fur matted and rugged. He grabbed her scruff and shook her awake. Her eyes shot open and she looked at him, smiling at him. He growled and motioned for her to leave. She whimpered and he bit her ear hard, blood dripping from it. She yelped and bolted from the den, Winston watching her leave with contempt. He was cold, shivering. He shook his fur and stepped outside to see a thin layer of crunchy snow on the ground. He looked around the forest in bewilderment – it was the middle of spring. It never snowed this late in the season! He growled and stalked through the forest. This was just great – today was his Lone Wolf Assessment; how was he supposed to get a good mark if it was snowing?

He huffed, his breath visible on the frigid air. More of the Alphas were rising from their dens, looking into the sky in confusion. Never had any of them heard of or seen snow this late in the season. Winston was not as much confused as he was angered by the sight of snow. All it did was slow down the hunt and bring forth a shortage of prey. Wolves would get sick and the pack would be vulnerable. It was only fun for the pups; the last thing he wanted was snow!

The frozen white flakes landed in his fur, freezing his skin underneath. He shook them from his pelt angrily and walked to the clearing. The prey was frozen and worthless – not worth eating in the least. The Alphas grumbled when they saw the prey that was supposed to be their breakfast, knowing that now they had to hunt again and waste energy when they could be training. He walked about and was hit in the back by a large clump of snow. He whirled around, growling. Jasmine was behind him, giggling. He glowered at her and suddenly, a small ball landed on her nose. She looked up and a massive clump of snow fell on her back, flattening her to the ground. She fell with a thud, groaning. Winston smirked at her and Luke leapt down from the tree's branches, laughing at her. She looked at him mischievously and nipped at his paw. He bounced away and she got up, shaking her fur, the snow hitting him the face. Luke laughed and tackled her to the ground, the two rolling about in the snow, coming to a stop with their noses touching. Their eyes widened and Jasmine grinned, licking his nose.

Before they could do anything else, Winston threw two snowballs at them. One hit Luke in the face. He sneezed in response. The second hit Jasmine's paw. She yelped and he realized that stick had gotten into the snowball. She looked at him, bewildered, thinking he'd purposely done it. He motioned for them to get up and, reluctantly, the two complied, raising to their paws and padding toward him. There was one good thing about being the dominant one of their motely group: they listened to him as they would listen to a Leaderwolf – a good sign from them.

"What was that for?" Luke grumbled sullenly. Jasmine nodded, holding her paw, a long scratch on it. Luke leaned over and licked her paw, Jasmine giggling and licking his head. Winston growled at them to stop. They rolled their eyes at him. "Come on, Winston; just because you don't have a she-wolf to be with doesn't mean we can't be happy together."

"Maybe if he'd stop going out with all the northern pack whores," she said flatly. "He'd have a chance with someone that's actually worth his time." Winston growled at her despite the fact that it was true.

**Elder Raigho**

Raigho was by definition, an ancient wolf. Approximately thirteen years of age, he had more experience than any wolf within a thousand leagues of the school. His face was heavily scarred and worn from years of battle and age. He looked up and at the dark, cloudy sky. The clouds were a dark grey-green hue, thunder rumbling in the distance, snow falling around them. It was an odd thing to see snow at this time of the season, especially with the kind of weather they'd been experiencing lately. At first it was easy to dismiss everything as phenomena resulting from volcanic eruption or from human pollution. Yet the flakes were too frigid and scentless to be ash from volcanic activity, and they did not bear the tainted, blood curdling scent of humans. No, this was snow through and through, yet just hours prior, it had been blisteringly hot, making water a near hourly requirement to keep from plagues of dehydration. He walked forward and looked at the other Elder Alphas. They murmured amongst themselves, unknowing of what they should do. Raigho looked at the stone earth of the cave, brushing away the dust. On the stone were carvings of the Ancients.

They watched Raigho read the carvings, studying and scrutinizing them. His eyes narrowed as he read, looking into the words, not believing them. His breathing began to pick up, his old heart racing. The Elders noticed the change and rushed to his side, laying him to the ground, trying to calm him down. Visions flashed through his mind, images and emotions. _Death…blood…pain…hurt…cold…terror…suffering_…every terrible event and feeling conceivable went through his head. He couldn't make sense of it all…everything was so brief. Yet he was the only one who could read the inscriptions…he had to tell everyone! Warn them!

**Winston**

Everyone was herded to the clearing, looking up to the Elder Cave. The congregation of old wolves was inside, conversing. Winston looked about, joining Jasmine and Luke nearby. They looked just as confused as he was – the Elders rarely spoke to the Alphas save for at their individual assessments. It had to be a very serious matter if they were going to speak to them now. Winston's heart raced, panicking; had that idiotic she-wolf spouted off to everyone already? He looked about but didn't see anyone looking at him. He tried to calm down, looking ahead at the Elders.

One of them, an old brown male, stepped out and looked at them. He took a shaky breath and paced about. It seemed like he did not know how to go forth with speaking about the issue. He stopped and looked at them.

"Today is a terrible day," he spoke. What a great way to start off, Winston thought. "Recently, Elder Raigho suffered a dire heart attack that ended his life." Many of the wolves were shocked by this, looking about wildly. Raigho was spoken of by many wolves all over Jasper, known as the eldest of all the wolves. To hear that the legendary wolf had actually died was terrible. Winston looked at Jasmine and Luke; they looked shocked by the news, just as everyone else. Only a few of the younger, new arrivals did not seem affected. "We will go about our normal activities today and continue with assessments, but tonight, we will howl requiem for the mourning. Alphas, you are dismissed."

**Later**

Winston padded through the forest. He was stalking an elk, a large and formidable animal to prey upon. He was not yet two years of age. His Alpha mentors were monitoring his status as he stalked the elk. He knew not where they were; he could not pick up a scent, could not hear them, and could not see them. Still, he could sense them as they surveyed him silently. His tail flicked swiftly, a low growl emitting from his throat.

He bore his fangs and charged the elk. He leapt at its hind legs, digging his fangs into the bone. The elk reared back and kicked at him in pain, its eyes lighting with insatiable fury. It tried desperately to use its antlers to its advantage and kill Winston, but he held fast and snapped the limb in half, blood falling out from the massive creature's leg. It collapsed, Winston leaping at its throat and tearing at it, killing the elk. He placed a paw on its flank, threw his head back, and howled in proud triumph. It was a quick and decisive kill, one that his mentors were sure to be proud of.

Wolves began to appear from the trees around him, circling him. Three of them were the old Alpha mentors, another was a young tawny she-wolf. She looked at him shyly, then darted her head away, her fur falling over one of her eyes. He felt a small smile beginning to appear on his lips, but held it back as the mentors approached him.

"You have done well, Winston," an old grey told him. "We have but one final task to test your abilities as an Alpha."

"Name it and I'll do it," Winston said without hesitation and with pure confidence.

"This young she-wolf is new here and needs training," he informed Winston. "Her name is Evelyn; go easy on her, she hasn't had any experience thus far. Are you up to the challenge?"

"Shouldn't be too hard," Winston said. The grey smirked, trying to look confident. Inside, he was howling in defiance. He couldn't stand being near that stupid she-wolf!

"We'll see," he replied. The three wolves walked away, leaving Winston and Eve alone. Winston approached her, flashing Evelyn a friendly smile. He extended his paw to her.

"I'm Winston," he introduced himself. She stared at him, her left eye shining, her right eye covered by her light golden fur. For a moment, he found himself lost in her beautiful amber eyes, then blinked and snapped out of it. She slowly extended her paw and shook his lightly.

"I-I-I'm n-new here," she murmured quietly.

"I can tell," Winston growled flatly. "What did they say you're name is again?"

"Evelyn-" she began.

"No, too long, too formal," he said. "I hate it. What can I call you instead?" She pondered, and tapped a paw on the ground. He opened his mouth to speak but she held up her paw, scratching her head with another, deep in thought. He looked at her, bewildered.

"Oh, I got it!" She proclaimed, excited. "My mom calls me Softpaws! My dad calls me Softy Lofty too! So you can call me those! Or, we can give each other cool code names that make us look really awesome! Or we can-"

Winston felt like his head was going to split open if she kept going on like this. He was half tempted to call her something vulgar, but decided against it. Finally he growled and glared at her, thinking of her name and shortening it.

"I'm calling you Eve, alright?" He snarled. She looked at him for a few moments, finally silent before she broke out into a large grin.

"That sounds great! I think I might go by that name instead now!" Winston rolled his eyes at her, grumbling. She was definitely going to be a paw-full.

"Alright, great, you have a shorter name," Winston growled. "Are you ready to get started or am I going to have to listen to you babble all day?"

"Yeah!" She responded ecstatically, her eyes brightening with excitement. "I want to taste blood and feel my prey die!" Winston looked at her oddly, her statement kind of scaring him. She looked down in embarrassment. "Sorry, that just kind of burst out of me there." Winston gave her a near-terrified look.

"That's alright," he said with a nervous laugh. "Let's get moving! Oh, and one more thing," He brushed her fur back, revealing both of her eyes. Her ears flattened in shyness, Winston suppressing a smile. "You want to be able to see if you're going to feel your prey die." She grinned sheepishly and they began to pad off into the forest together.

**A/N: Remember that part from Into the Darkness? If you do, awesome! If you don't, sucks for you I guess. Anyway, thanks for reading this chapter! I'll try to update soon but unfortunately I have family visiting soon for my town's Coast Guard Festival (basically the dumbest thing ever created but at least there's good food downtown). Anyhow, thanks to the dark shadow, The-crazy-lone-wolf77, Dawn Walker Wolf, Crowwolf, and LilyAndMe for reviewing my last chapter! Also, I'd like to state that I will not be accepting more OCs for this story. The three provided by Crowwolf are all I need. Really I just needed some names and looks for them, which Crowwolf helped with greatly. Until next time!**

**-The Dishonored Wolf**


	4. The Dark Plains

For the first time in Winston's life, he truly felt like he was going to die. Never before had he ever been forced to suffer through a pain such as this. It was worse than being trampled alive by a herd of caribou, worse than the lightning shot of a human weapon, and even worse than being eaten alive by bears. This was an insatiable pain that would not go away, one that pained him worse than anything he'd ever experienced in his short-lived life. The pain was the absolute horror of listening to Eve talk.

He felt as though his head was going to split in two of she continued to speak; she had ceased her incessant rambling for hours and it was starting to _really_ piss him off. If one's ears could bleed from too much annoyance, then Eve would be perfect for torture. She would _never_ stop talking! Winston couldn't even hear himself think with her around, and the worst part was that she was talking about her personal life as if he was now some kind of therapist or close family friend. What the hell did she think her was? She was only getting more annoying by the second, babbling on about one subject and then quickly moving to another. He couldn't even discern the relation between subjects; it seemed that she just wanted to keep talking as though she had nothing better to do with her life. Within moments, he'd forgotten why he was out there in the first place – within minutes, he'd forgotten everything that had happened in the past twenty four hours. His mind had never been burned out to numbness like this before, and he didn't like the feeling at all. He ended up stopping, sitting down in a clearing and clenching his jaw, trying to wait her out. Unfortunately, it seemed that she'd completely forgotten how mean he'd been to her earlier and now thought he was some kind of close friend. If she thought of them as friends, then she was sadly mistaken. The last thing they'd ever be was friends. The only two friends Winston needed were Jasmine and Luke, and when he no longer had need of them, they'd be cast aside as well. Winston didn't need or want friends. He needed allies until he was Leader wolf, and then he would throw them away when he could.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and he shot her a cold glare. She stopped and looked at him, tilting her head. Her fur fell back over her eye and he groaned. This she-wolf was already difficult to handle. How could anyone survive with this idiot? He glared at her and found himself looking over her body, following each curve to her face. She was, he had to admit, moderately attractive. Clumsy as she was and dumb as could be, she was irresistibly cute to his eyes. He felt an odd twinge but brushed it aside, shaking his head with a growl. She looked at him, perplexed, and broke out into a large grin. He kicked snow in her face and it immediately vanished. He motioned for her to follow and she silently complied. Finally, he could at least think I have a straight line of thought. If he had to hear one more story about how she caught her parents mating and liked to watch them for some odd reason, he'd surely be driven to the edge of insanity. He walked about and led her to a low ridge, looking down at the forest below them. She sat beside him.

"What did you need help with?" He asked her. She didn't reply for a while and he looked back at her. She was looking forward intently, her jaws slightly parted as she scented the air.

"Hunting," she replied. "I think you already noticed that I'm not, well, very good at it." He rolled his eyes and grunted confirmation. A cool breeze buffeted their fur. It was a winter breeze, the scent of a snow storm on the horizon. This was bad news. If they didn't get the hunt done soon, then they'd be caught in a blizzard. Winston narrowed his eyes, contemplating on taking her back to the school, but knew that she had to have at least learned something from today. He motioned for her to follow him, the two wolves walking through the trees steadily. Winston stealthily crept forward; Eve, on the other paw, sounded like a bear crashing through the forest, each step smashing into the snow and undergrowth beneath it. Winston winced each time she took a step until he finally looked back at her with a hard glare. She looked back at him, her fur covering her eyes. He flicked the fur back with his tail, Eve blushing underneath her fur. He rolled his eyes and groaned, walking forward once more.

Eve seemed to have understood the purpose of his glare and did her best to pad through the snow softly. Unfortunately, her best wasn't necessarily good. She still sounded like a bounding pup without enough sense in the world to stay quiet, but at least she was slightly quieter. Winston stopped and scented the air once more – the scent of the coming storm was overwhelming, but he could still pick up some other scents of prey as well. He directed Eve to do the same.

She tilted her head upward and started scenting, padding about in a circle as she did so. Winston watched her as she did this, perplexed by what she was doing. She ran directly into a tree, not watching where she was walking. She recoiled, sneezing and shook her head. Winston growled and brought a paw to his face, groaning in exasperation. He sat down and watched her in a dull, angered manner. She stopped, her ears pricking and her nose tingling – she caught something. Suddenly, she bolted forward, Winston following to watch her attempt to catch the prey.

**The Dark Plains**

She continued to run forward, Winston trying to scent whatever it was that she smelled, but could not pick up any sign of prey. He knew she was on to something, but not what. Suddenly, he began to pick up the indistinguishable scent of the Dark Plains. His eyes widened and he ran faster to catch her; she couldn't go to the Dark Plains! It was forbidden for any wolf to so much as approach them! It was a bad omen just to look at them, and an even darker omen to go inside and find anything.

Finally, the two broke through the tree line and skidded to a halt in the snow, looking forward. Directly before them were the Dark Plains: vast leagues of dead forest. One hundred and ninety six years prior, a vast fire had raged through the forests, running thousands of animals away. The Alpha School had once been a massive place in these very plains that had once been a sprawling forest. Wolves from across the continent would travel to the forest to be instructed in the ways of the Alphas. Within a matter of hours, all two hundred wolves – elders, trainers, newly-arriving pups, and senior Alpha students were killed. For almost two decades, no one would approach the place at all; fearful that another fire would rage. Many wolves did not; hardly any wolves outside of Jasper used the new school now, for fear that the forest was no longer the safe haven that it had once been. The new school was positioned in a place surrounded by trees, but not nearly as thick with undergrowth and tree cover as the original as to keep from another tragedy from occurring. No one ever went to the Dark Plains; everyone avoided it.

Eve seemed mesmerized by the sight, her eyes wide and mouth slightly agape as she stared at the dark grey land. Old, burnt remains of tree trunks still jutted from the ground like jagged, black rocks. Most of the snow here was melted or nonexistent entirely. Eve started to pad forward slowly, Winston staring at her in shock – it was obvious the she-wolf did not know of this history behind these lands. He leapt forward and pinned her to the ground, dragging her back by her scruff. She struggled and growled at him as he pulled her away.

"Hey, let me go!" She barked. "I just want to check it out!"

"There's no way in the name of Lupus that we're going anywhere near the Dark Plains!" Winston snarled. "It's a bad place for wolves!" He threw her to the ground and glared at her, baring his fangs. She glared back, defiance in her amber eyes. He was slightly taken aback by this, but at the same time, he admired her spirit. He had begun to think she lacked a backbone, but now it seemed that she was just as capable of fighting back as she was of being curious.

"So what?" She scoffed. "Just because a fire killed a bunch of wolves that we never knew doesn't mean we can't go in there and just look around!" He was surprised to hear that she actually knew of the histories behind the Dark Plains. She seemed too young to be informed of this. Looks, he decided, were quite deceiving if this was the case. He looked back at the Dark Plains; as much as he feared the place like all Alphas feared it (or at least, most of them) he had to admit that he was just as curious now as she was. He hung his head low and sighed, turning toward the plains and padding slowly, his tail drooping.

Eve squealed in joy and bounded happily down the slope, sliding down the slick surface on her paw pads, laughing gleefully. Winston rolled his eyes and lost his pawing, sliding down with her, tumbling through the snow and landing beside her. She lay down giggling, looking at him. Their eyes shot open when they realized that their noses were touching, their muzzles almost connected. Winston instantly pulled away, retreating from her. Her ears flattened, her eyes briefly betraying her sadness before she quickly washed it away. The two silently padded into the Dark Plains, the hardened ash feeling cool beneath their paws. Winston looked about at the thousands of jagged stumps that had once been large trees. He padded forward and, looking through the plains. Something about it felt off, his eyes scanning as though he was searching for something – though for what, he did not know. Eve pranced about the trees and sniffed about, looking around in awe. Winston wished, momentarily, that he was more like her. She seemed so carefree, almost like an Omega.

Suddenly, she screamed, leaping back in terror, her eyes wide. Winston looked over to her and ran in her direction, his heart racing. He suddenly felt protective of her, though he did not understand why. He ran beside her and looked down. Now he understood why she had screamed. Behind the remnants of the tree was a petrified carcass of a wolf. Its fur had been burnt away, the heat cauterizing its body into the stiff, dormant state that it was in now. It seemed to be reeling back from the flames that had once been pursuing it, its face fixated in an eternal, silent scream.

It was quite a haunting sight. Winston was shocked that the fire was so hot and moved so fast that it had managed to encase the wolf in stone. The fire, he realized, must have been far worse than he had thought. It was no wonder no one ever made it out alive. Wrapped in the wolf's right paw - one that it held upward, as though raising it to protect itself - was an odd, golden object. Circular in shape, the object was obviously very old and not of wolf make. It could have, perhaps, been made by humans, though it even seemed too foreign for them. Graceful, intricate designs were carved into the surface on all sides. On one side, three indentations were present; as though three prongs of some sort would fit into the object with ease, though that could have easily been another design.

He hooked a claw around it and tugged, ripping out of the wolf's grasp. Its paw crumbled and cracked as he tore it away. He studied it, pulling it close to his face. His nose touched it and his blood went cold. It flew off his claw and hovered before him, green electrical currents coursing across its golden surface. Suddenly, he was lifted into the air, the green energy electrifying him and making him hover before the object. Extreme pain ripped through his body, too much for him to notice Eve's cries behind him. Brief, bright flashes of blood and death tore through his subconscious, tearing his mind apart from the inside-out. He clenched his jaws together and howled in agony, small strings of some sort appearing around the object, wrapping the ring around his neck like some kind of necklace. He screamed and the world went dark.

**53,495 B.C.E.**

_ Falin shivered uncontrollably in the den, his breath coming out in short gasps. Ice hung from his pelt, the raging blizzard outside howling with fury. He looked left to his dire wolf mother, consoling his younger sister – the only survivor of her recent litter. The young, feeble pup had been mewling for milk for days, but its cries had been steadily decreasing as the life in the pup slowly gave away. Without prey to feed his mother, she could not produce milk for the pup and she slowly starved. On the other side of the den was his friend's mate. She was pregnant of recently, terrified of birthing pups for the first time in this horrible era of their lives._

_ The rest of the pack had been killed by the cold or by starvation. Seven others had been banished from the territory on the grounds of cannibalism. With the face of starvation and overall malnutrition, they began to attack pups and even adult wolves that were not as strong as the others to eat. Now Falin, the Shaman, his mother and sister, Cormen, and his pregnant mate were all that remained of the pack that had once been made of twenty one wolves. Cormen appeared from outside the cave, stumbling inside, ice and snow covering his body. He seethed, stumbling inside. Falin bounded over to him, helping him to the back. He looked at Cormen's mate and jerked his head toward the tunnel leading to the Shaman's den._

_ "Synca, fetch Shaman Baskro!" She nodded curtly and darted off into the cave. Falin lowered Cormen to the ground and began to lick his fur back, trying to warm him. Falin's mother looked down in sadness; Cormen was supposed to hunt for them on this shift. They did not want to risk losing multiple wolves of value on a hunt in this time, so only one wolf at a time wolf at a time would go out to the frozen forests below to try and find prey. Without food, he could not feed Falin's mother to provide for the pup. _

_ "What was it like out there, my friend?" Falin asked nervously. "Did you see any prey?"_

_ "Frozen," he said, shuddering violently. "I saw frozen, petrified elkryn that had once been grazing. I tried to bring one back, but the ice just kept forming quicker and quicker; I doubt even the marrow would have been reachable." Falin cursed under his breath and looked back at his mother in regret. She nodded and nuzzled his sister._

_ "You did what you could, Cormen," she murmured. Suddenly, she reeled back from his sister and licked her roughly. "Jerinca? Jerinca, are you there? Do you hear me, little pup? Jerinca?" The pup was dead._

**Present Day, 2017 C.E.**

"WINSTON, WAKE UP!" Eve screamed. His eyes bolted open and he gasped for air, looking up to see the tawny she-wolf above him. He looked up at her and then down at his chest to see the circular thing hanging from his neck. He blinked rapidly and dragged himself upward.

"W-what happened?" He asked, his words slurred. She shook her head in panic.

"There's no time, Winston!" She screamed. "There's a blizzard coming! We have to get back, now!" He looked up and saw the rolling clouds above them, crimson lightning flashing in the sky above them. In the distance, he could scent the rapidly approaching blizzard. He nodded and the two sprinted back, leaving the tree and the petrified corpse behind. He tried to make sense of everything that he'd just seen, running over the vision in his mind. What was all of that? What did it mean? What happened to him? Where was-?

Suddenly, the earth caved in underneath them, the two wolves tumbling down into the darkness. They slammed into the earth below, dust and ash falling after them. Their eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness and they looked about. All around them were hundreds of thousands of wolves and other animals, all running away from something. Petrified trees and undergrowth, preserved flawlessly in the cavern, stretched for untold leagues in every direction. The ground was curved and slanted in the unmistakable form of snow, icicles hanging from the frozen trees. Eve pressed herself against his body fearfully, her body trembling as they looked forward in shock.

"What is this place?" She whispered. Winston looked at her and then looked back at the petrified world they had stumbled upon under the earth. Stone columns stood everywhere around them, roots tangling around them and stretching down into the earth, holding the ground above them up high. He whispered to himself as much as to her.

"It's a tomb," he replied, his voice echoing through the dark world they were in.

**A/N: Well everyone, I'm very excited for this! Why? Well, I'm excited because of the same reason I was excited to write Into the Darkness: mystery. The weird thing is that I don't like reading mysteries, but I love to write them with the dark tone and action I embed into the mystery to give it an exciting, dramatic flair! Where are Eve and Winston? What is the thing Winston found? What will happen next? When will I stop asking all of you these questions you don't know the answers to? I DON'T KNOW!**

**Thanks to Crowwolf, The-crazy-lone-wolf77, LilyAndMe, the dark shadow, Alexander, Dawn Walker Wolf, RexieCakes, and OmegaWolf54 for reviewing my last chapter! So, I have a question for all of you: Where do you think Winston and Eve are, and how did it get there? Well, that's all for now, thanks for reading, and as always, until next time!**

**-The Dishonored Wolf**


	5. The Dark World

**A/N: Go on Youtube and look up these songs:**

**Halo 4 Soundtrack – Wreckage (Play Immediately)**

**Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith – Sidious Revealed Expanded Score**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

Winston padded forward carefully, Eve following closely by his side. The cavern was darker beyond any dark they'd ever known. Snakes coiled on the ground, some slithering from holes in the ground high above, the holes providing some light inside. A thick, grey-green mist covered the floor, wisps of the mist coiling around their legs as the snakes did. The haunted bellows of strange beasts echoed from far off in the cavern. Winston, however, did not care about the life in the cavern; he cared about the death. Every animal – predator and prey alike – was running in the exact same southern direction, panic in their eternally frozen faces. Mother wolves carried their pups or wrapped around them protectively, trying to ward off whatever they were all being chased by. Their pelts were frozen in ice, glistening in the light that penetrated the ground from snake and rabbit holes above. This was not a normal forest however, and these were not normal animals. Everything was far larger than normal, almost as if they were different species'.

The wolves were massive, nearly twice of a full grown wolf of the current generation. Their bodies were stockier and their muzzles slightly shorter, muscles rippling across their frozen bodies. The Elk were massive, lumbering creatures, larger than the greatest moose. Everything here seemed to be different than it was supposed to be; even the plant life seemed to be more primitive than it should be. Winston stepped on something that jabbed into his paw pad. He yelped and pulled away, examining what it was. He had stepped on the stinger of an enormous bee that had frozen in midflight. He was dumbfounded by the sight of the tomb-like world they had literally fallen into. There were no holes above, nor any evidence of unstable ground. Yet somehow, the earth had caved in from underneath them, sending them into this darkened abyss of rock and ice. Eve breathed carefully, padding toward two young pups. One seemed to have stumbled in the snow (as evidence from the markings behind it) and the other was trying to help its sibling back up before they were frozen. Everything here was ice and rock, while everything encased inside of the ice was completely foreign to them. Eve looked at Winston expectantly.

"Do you know what this place is?" She whispered. He shot her an incredulous, cold glare.

"How the hell would I know where we are?" He exclaimed quietly. The beasts in the distance did not seem to be getting any further away; if anything, they were getting even closer.

"I don't know, you've been here longer than me and you know more about the Dark Plains than I do!" She scowled. "I thought you would have known where we are!"

"No, I don't, and I don't know why everything here is bigger than it should be!" She groaned and looked around. She wanted to get out of the cavern as fast as possible, but Winston had a greater interest in the whereabouts of the place. He looked upward but found nothing of importance; only another layer of rock above them. Jagged walls blocked some sides of the cavern – most likely the bottoms of the mountains on the surface world. He found it odd to call the world above such a thing, but at the same time, there didn't seem to be any other appropriate term for it.

He walked through the encased statues of animals, looking through the ice at them. They were perfectly preserved in the ice. Their eyes were frozen forward, locked in silent terror. He placed a paw on the ice and noticed that it was not cold. It was hardened, like glass. Most likely, the body had also solidified and changed, turning to glass as well. He looked up at the form of a wolf, staring at it, wondering why it was so much larger than it should have been. He scrutinized it, a brief memory coming to mind, but he didn't understand what the memory was about.

Eve wandered amongst the petrified bodies, looking about for some sort of exit. The holes above were far too small for them to escape through and far too high to make it back up to the surface. If they could climb the solidified trees and dig their way out of the roof, then they could make it back to the school with ease. She sought for a tree that would work in that case, but did not find anything in the immediate vicinity. The deep, hideous bellows in the distance did not make anything better, however; she was simply all the more terrified by them with each sound. She thought they were getting closer and closer, and it was starting to make her panic. Her elder brother, however, had raised her and taught her to be strong; he wouldn't let him down now. Her eyes caught sight of something ahead and she moved toward it. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before; a colossal monstrosity that she could have never dreamt of.

Encased in a thin layer of ice like everything else, the monster was pale and furless. Massive, muscular limbs protruded from an exoskeleton torso. A long, snake-like tail snaked behind it, the forelegs significantly shorter than the hind legs. A massive, scale-ridden head with long, sharp fangs jutted forward. Its whole body was scaly and slender, spikes running down its spine. The air around the creature was hot and fetid, putrid with a sickly aroma that stung her nostrils and made her gag. She looked up at its bright yellow eyes, glaring at the slit pupils of the reptilian monster. She neared it, examining the creature, looking at its eyes and wondering where it came from. Suddenly, the eyes moved, looking down at her. She gasped and the entire body moved, shattering the remains of the ice, roaring. She stumbled back, her eyes darting to the ice. Inside, fur and blood was still stuck to the ice – the creature had broken into the ice and eaten whatever was formerly inside. She howled in terror, alerting Winston.

He looked away from the massive wolf and his eyes widened when he saw the massive creature. He ran about, barking madly at the creature, distracting it from Eve. It turned to look at Winston as Eve darted away. It lowered in a predatory stance and roared once more, charging at Winston. He waited, timing the approach just right. He leapt out of the way as it barreled down upon him, smashing the petrified ice statues out of the way. It smashed into a tree, smashing it entirely. Blood spurted from the forehead of the creature as the ice tore through the scales of its head. Winston sprinted forward, looking for Eve. He heard a panicked whisper to his left and he skidded to a halt, looking at a large elk. She was hiding underneath it, terror in her amber eyes. He leapt under the elk with her, watching as the massive creature lumbered about, scenting the air to find them.

Another leapt of over the elk, its tail smashing their cover out from under them. Eve gasped, Winston quickly putting a paw over her mouth. The creature turned and looked directly at them, Winston's heart stopping for a moment. His eyes were as wide and bulbous as Eve's now, staring in horror at the creature. It lowered its head and pulled back its lips, displaying fangs twice the size of their heads. It breathed on them, its disgusting breath nearly enough to knock them off their paws. They sat there for a few terrifying moments, waiting for a kill strike that never came. It exhaled a few more times, staring directly at them, then turned and slowly lumbered away, the two massive creatures disappearing, their bellows echoing from far off as they sought prey. Winston took his paw from Eve's muzzle and she gasped, looking about frantically.

"Why didn't it see us?" She exclaimed quietly. Winston shook his head.

"It heard you gasp, but didn't see us," he said, looking around as well. "It must not have good eyesight. It may have to rely on sound or movement."

"I guess that would make sense," she murmured as he began to walk forward. She followed, paranoia setting in as she looked around their surroundings. "But what in the name of Lupus were those things? I've never even heard of anything like them before!"

"I'm not sure," Winston admitted, maneuvering through the petrified forest. He looked forward, patterns lighting on the trees and the ground suddenly. He stopped and looked at them. "What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Eve inquired. He looked at her and gestured to the glowing patterns. She looked at him, dumbfounded.

"The patterns on everything?" He said. "Do you see them or are you blind too?"

"What patterns?" She asked, eyeing him. "All I see are trees and animals stuck in ice." He padded to a tree and pointed to a glowing, triangular pattern on its surface. She shrugged; Eve was not able to see the patterns like he did. He shook his head and sighed; the she-wolf must have thought he'd finally lost his mind!

Winston was starting to wonder if he had as well; they'd fallen into an underground world of petrified animals and forests, everything encased in glass-like ice. They had come face-to-face with creatures of the likes they had never seen nor heard of before. No wolf would ever believe them if they tried to explain where they'd fallen into. The only way to convince anyone would be to bring them to the Dark Plains and leap inside the hole, putting wolves at risk from the monsters and anything else that roamed the dark, underground realm underneath their own. He looked around, realizing that the lights pointed toward a cave, perhaps one that would take them to the surface again. He headed for it, Eve following closely.

The mist began to thicken, dulling the illumination of the symbols around them. Eve coughed behind him and asked where he was going. He didn't answer; he didn't know where he was going either. She began to mutter a song under her breath, Winston half-listening as he walked.

_I'm out here on my own_

_To face the day alone_

_I need you to get me through the night_

_I'm lost out in the cold_

_I want someone to hold_

_I feel you're near, though you're out of sight_

_And even though we're far apart_

_I search the moonlit sky_

_I make a wish to be home with you_

_Can't you hear me cry?_

_Show me the light_

_Someone to lead and guide me_

_Show me the light_

_A love to stand beside me_

_Show me the light_

_When I fear the dark_

_A ray of sunshine, a rainbow's arc_

_Show me the light_

_I'm reaching for a star_

_Wondering where you are_

_Where is the love searching for me too?_

_Oh, beyond the mountain top_

_The dream will never stop_

_Give me a sign_

_I'm running out of time_

_Oh, I know someone is on their knees_

_Praying for me now_

_Won't you come and hear my pleas?_

_Save me somehow_

_Oh, somehow_

_Show me the light_

_Someone to lead and guide me_

_Show me the light_

_A love to stand beside me_

_Show me the light_

_When I fear the dark_

_A ray of sunshine, a rainbow's arc_

_Show me the light_

_Show me the light_

He supposed that it was some old pup's song from her mother or father; then again, she said she was raised by her brother. Perhaps it was passed through him? He shook his head, not understanding why he was pondering this so much.

"Winston, where are we?" Eve asked. He blinked and looked around at their surroundings. He had become so lost in the song that he'd forgotten where they were. They were in a massive cave, rock walls all around them. Massive cobwebs surrounded them, a hole in the ground high above providing the pale light of the moon to stream into the cave. He looked around, hoping to find some way to escape, but saw nothing.

**A/N: Play the second song now**

"Who dares to enter my den?" A deep, grating voice rumbled. Eve's eyes bulged and she hid behind Winston fearfully. His blood ran cold as he looked up, a dark shape resting on top of a rock ledge. He saw the outline of pale grey fur, a massive body. Suddenly, to large orbs appeared, glowing yellow in the darkness. It was enough to give Winston a heart attack. The creature pulled back its lips, the moonlight glistening off of its long, white fangs. It released a low growl, not moving from its perch. He repeated the question, licking his muzzle as he did so. Winston gulped and stepped forward, taking a deep breath as he addressed the creature.

"I-I am Winston of the Western Pack of Jasper," he replied to the creature. Eve slowly slunk up to him as well.

"I am Eve of the Western Pack of Jasper," she squeaked. The creature's eyes studied them in the darkness, breathing silently. Eve trembled, pressing herself against Winston's flank. For once, he didn't so much care; he was too busy being terrified by the creature.

"Winston and Eve of the Western Pack of Jasper," it rumbled, sitting up. The creature was nearly thrice the size of a bear, its yellow eyes glowing eerily in the darkness. "I am Joguko of the Black River Pack. I am the last of the Dire Wolves."

"Dire Wolves went extinct thousands of years ago," Winston said, not understanding. "How could you be alive?"

"After the wrath of Fenrir was exulted, few of us still remained. I am the descendant of those who survived in the Second Realm. You are the offspring of the Third Realm, are you not?"

"What do you mean?" Winston asked. Joguko groaned and stood, pacing the walls, glaring at them the whole time.

"Twice now, Fenrir has unleashed his wrath on the earth," he began. "Sometimes, it is due to the eruption of a Super Volcano, but twice, the two worst storms, were caused by Fenrir. We are cursed to please him somehow or be forced to be destroyed ever fifty five millennia."

"Why would Fenrir be angry?" Eve asked quietly, still scared out of her fur. "I thought he was our protector…"

"He _was_ our protector!" Joguko snarled, the two wolves jumping back in fear. "Then the damned god decided we were not enough for him, and he unleashed the storm on us!"

"What storm?" Winston asked him. "We don't know what you're talking about."

"You call it an Ice Age," Joguko growled. "We call it the storm. It is more than just a simple Ice Age; it is far worse, far more destructive, chaotic, bloody…it is the very end of the world that Fenrir puts us through. Had my ancestors been faster, the nanuak could have saved us! Now, we are overdue once more…you are all going to die."

Eve whimpered when he said this, Winston stepping forward a bit. The eyes of Joguko glimmered when he saw what was around Winston's neck.

"Ah, you have found the Piece of the Earth," he rumbled. "Only the pieces of Fire and Water remain…give it to me." Winston clutched the ring-shaped object around his neck almost protectively.

"Not unless you tell us how to get out of here," he growled.

"I do not make deals with runts," Joguko growled. He leapt down, the earth shaking as he fell before them. "Give me the Earth!"

"Eve, run!" Winston snarled, backing away from Joguko. She instantly sprinted away from the cave, back into the mist.

"GIVE ME THE NANUAK!" Joguko roared, leaping for Winston. He dodged out of the way, racing after Eve. He heard Joguko snarl and roar from behind him as the two wolves sought for a way out of the underground world. He heard crashing from behind them as Joguko smashed the petrified world out of his way. Suddenly, his eyes caught sight of more symbols trailing on the ground toward a tree, one that would lead them straight back to the surface.

Winston pointed toward it and Eve nodded, running to it at press-paw speed. She leapt upon its branches and scrambled up the slanted tree, leaping upward through the hole they fell through, clawing her way back to the surface. Winston did the same, following her. Suddenly, the tree shattered as Joguko smashed through it. He looked down at the Dire Wolf. It snapped at him and leapt upward, clawing at the edges, pulling himself up. Winston and Eve backed away, but suddenly, the creatures they saw before leapt at Joguko, pulling him down, devouring the last Dire Wolf. The ground began to reform, the holes in the earth mending as though they were never there at all.

**A/N: Hey guys, thanks for reading the chapter! I have a job interview today and I wanted to get this chapter out early! Thanks to Crowwolf, Alexander, the dark shadow, sup3rnint3nd0, TheFalconWolf, and LilyAndMe for reviewing my last chapter! Until next time!**

**-The Dishonored Wolf**


	6. A Frozen World

The blizzard was blinding, the snow whipping around them and freezing their fur. Icicles began to form on Winston's chin, even freezing the fur on his eyelids together. He forced them apart and ripped some of the fur from his face, causing him to wince. He forced a paw forward, then another, and yet another. Eve followed on his right. She shivered beneath her fur, shuddering violently. Ice continued to form on their bodies, their movements being slowed. She gasped and fell to the ground, the snow forming around her. Winston didn't notice and continued walking forward, baring his fangs, the saliva freezing in his mouth. Eve struggled to move, trying her best to crawl after him. The ice, however, continued to on her body, snow burying her in a heavy, frozen mound behind him. She rasped, trying to call out to Winston, but he did not hear her. She closed her eyes and forced whatever energy she had left to curl up and retain what little warmth was left in her before she died. She began to cry, her tears freezing into her fur. All she wanted was to become and Alpha and make her brother proud…

**Later**

Winston did his best to ignore the cold and to focus on what was important: getting back home. Luckily, Eve had stopped talking and he could finally hear himself think again, forcing his thoughts to stay focused on a simple strategy: two paws forward, two paws forward…two paws forward, two paws forward…two paws forward, two paws forward. This way, he no longer had to be forced to think of the cold and of what events had transpired before. His fangs chattered together from the cold, his body beginning to freeze over like the water in the winter. If he didn't stop and dig into the snow to make a shelter soon, then he'd die. Eve would as well, but he didn't expect her to help him. He forced out his claws and began to dig into the snow, slowly and tediously.

His claws froze and began to chip and break and he dug. He growled as each one snapped, blood flowing out and quickly freezing to his paws. His paws were numb by the time he'd finally dug a tunnel into the snow, but he'd have to excavate more of the interior to accommodate for Eve as well. He growled and kept digging.

"You know," he panted, digging more. "It would be nice if you'd help!" She did not respond to him and he growled, digging faster as the cold seeped into his veins. He could feel the chill in his very bones. If he didn't do something to warm up his body, he'd surely freeze to death. He briefly wondered if Eve was okay, but he pushed the thought aside and continued to dig, making an area large enough for both of them. He looked back and saw that Eve wasn't there. He shrugged, knowing she had to be outside. Luckily, he had to go out and find bark to seal the opening anyway. He ran out of the tunnel at press-paw speed, the blood leaving a faint trail for him to follow. He immediately approached a nearby oak, tearing off the bark into a shield. He tried to cut into the bark, but only succeeded in ripping out two claws. He angrily struck the center of the shield, breaking a paw-sized hole in it so that their air wouldn't be completely siphoned. He dragged the shield back to the snow tunnel, still not seeing Eve. He supposed she must have gone back in when he wasn't looking.

He hooked a paw in the hole and dragged the shield into place, securing it at the base of the tunnel. He sat there for a few long moments, making sure it stayed. Already, the ice had begun to thaw from his pelt. He shook the snow from his fur and shivered, the improved warmth of the snowy confines providing some comfort to the young Alpha. He curled up by the shield, too exhausted to check on Eve. He closed his eyes and exhaled, drifting into the world of dreams.

**Eve**

_ It was sunny outside, the trees in full bloom. Eve yawned and stretched her limbs. She looked behind outside and padded to the den, breathing in the scents of the outside world. Suddenly, she saw a wolf with brown fur approach her. Eve's tail wagged as she saw him, the brown wolf grinning ruefully as he held a plump hare in his jaws. She yipped at his arrival. He bopped her nose and padded into the den, placing the hare on the ground._

_ "Hi, Steven!" She greeted. He smiled and ruffled the fur on her head. _

_ "Hey there, little sis," he replied. "How was your night?"_

_ "It was good," she said, sniffing the hare. "Are you going to teach me to hunt soon?" He laughed._

_ "That's for you learn in Alpha School, sis," he said with a smile. She groaned and then the two began to feast on the hare, the warm, succulent meat sliding down her gullet. Her senses sparked as she tasted the meat; Steven smiled at her, knowing that hare was her favorite food. When they finished, he pulled a rib bone from the corpse and chewed on it, gnawing on the bone after emptying the marrow. _

_ Suddenly, he sat up straight and looked at Eve with a cold, hard stare. She tilted her head in curiosity and he bared his fangs. She backed away slowly, scared of him. What was wrong with her brother?_

_ "You need to wake up, Evelyn," he growled._

_ "W-what are you talking about?" She whispered, her body trembling at the growl. "I'm awake, Steven."_

_ "No, you're not," he replied more forcefully._

_ "You're going kind of crazy, Steve-" she began. Suddenly, he transformed into a hideously burned corpse, two red eyes glaring at her. He snarled, making her jump._

_ "WAKE UP!" _

Eve's eyes snapped open and she found herself crushed underneath the snow. She gritted her fangs and pushed a paw forward; trying to dig herself out of the small hole she was trapped in. The air was thin, making her pass out repeatedly. She was too cold to make it out, too exhausted, too…too tired…

**Winston**

He woke up, looking around with lazy eyes. He looked back up and saw that the snow had blocked the hole in the shield. He pushed his paw through it and found that the snow was relatively thin, the night sky streaming through the hole above. The full moon was surrounded by billions of tiny stars, glimmering in the dark night sky. He stood up and stretched his tired limbs. He looked back at his handiwork, padding into the space he would share with Eve for the night. He looked around and his eyes widened in shock – she wasn't there. He looked about frantically; she was with him the whole time…wasn't she?

"Oh, no," he whispered. He sprinted back up and broke through the shield. Only a few flakes fluttered from the sky. His tracks were gone, but faint lumps in the snow provided a general direction from where they walked. He sprinted through the snowy landscape, searching desperately for the tawny-furred she-wolf. "Eve! Eve, where are you?" No response ever came back to him.

He looked about frantically, his heart racing. He had to find her; he couldn't just let her die out there! He howled for her, but still no response came. He shot off into the forest, following the trail they'd taken. The snow, after the hours of walking, had covered up more and more of the tracks, making it impossible to track her by sight. He parted his jaws and scented the air, but could not pick up her scent. He dashed forward and tripped over something. He looked back and noticed an odd, large mound rising from the snow. His eyes widened when he saw the tip of a tawny tail poking out of it. Winston leapt upon the mound and began to dig furiously, throwing as much snow back as he could until her reached her body. He finally uncovered her from the thick snow. She was frozen stiff, her eyes shut, ice sealing them. He shoved the snow out of the way and grabbed her snowy scruff, pulling her out.

He began to tediously drag her back to the hole he'd constructed, running into several trees on the way. His heart pounded and his body heat flared as he dragged her back. She was deceptively heavy for her slim appearance. He growled and began to quickly drag her back once he caught sight of the bark shield. He lost his pawing and slipped, tumbling down the tunnel, pulling her with him. He groaned and pushed her body off of him, laying her down gently. He rushed upward and grabbed the bark shield, pulling it in place. He turned back and padded toward her.

Winston lay down on top of her, rubbing her body and gently licking the ice from her fur and face. Some of the ice left small cuts on his tongue, but he ignored the brief pain as the sharp ice cut him. She shivered, reassuring him that she was still alive and able to be saved. He was able to remove the majority of the snow and ice from her fur, but avoided her private areas in respect toward the she-wolf. He continued to tend to her, trying his best to restore enough body heat to her as to help Eve regain consciousness. Unbeknownst to him, she had woken some time earlier and had spotted him out of the corner of her eye. She smiled slightly to herself, relishing in Winston's touch. Though he was not particularly friendly, nor did he seem to actually care about her, Eve felt a strong attraction to the wolf. She'd never had a crush on any other wolf in her life, but now he seemed completely irresistible to her. He began to panic when she did not initially start to 'wake up' and paced about in worry, unable to think of what to do.

She slowly opened her eyes and groaned, pushing herself upward. Winston's eyes widened when he saw this and he broke out into a relieved grin. He helped her up, Eve stumbling. She had to admit, the stumble was a bit overdramatic, but she did truly feel weak after nearly being frozen alive. She looked at him gratefully and stretched her aching limbs, yawning widely. Winston watched her; he whispered a silent thanks to the gods for sparing her life. She rushed to him and embraced him, nuzzling into his neck fur.

He was initially surprised and just stared at her for a few moments before awkwardly returning the hug. She licked his cheek and pulled away with a small, shy smile.

"I thought that you were going to leave me back there," she murmured. Winston looked around casually.

"Well I was going to, but that would make me look bad," he replied. Her ears flattened slightly and she looked down. He realized that what he said wasn't exactly good and he licked her muzzle. "It, uh, it was a joke, sorry." Her ears perked up again and her tail slightly wagged. She giggled a bit; the sound made Winston's heart flutter.

"Well, I guess I did kind of deserve it," she laughed, punching his shoulder lightly. "But I can't say I'd do the same if you were in my position."

"Yeah, well, you're here now and that's all that matters until we get back to the school," he told her, lying down. She lay down as well, looking at him.

"What are we going to tell them?"

"Tell what to whom?" Winston asked. Eve rolled her eyes at him.

"You know, tell everyone about the caves; about Joguko and what he said about Fenrir. Shouldn't we tell them?"

"Eve, I'm not sure what we saw," Winston sighed, closing his eyes. "I find it hard to believe that we fell into some underground world that sealed itself as soon as we left. I mean come on, you can't actually believe that we talked to a dire wolf, can you?"

"Well what else could it have been?" Eve growled defensively. "Plus, we have that thing now." She pointed to the circular object around his neck.

"I'll just throw it out when I have the chance," Winston said dismissively. "I mean come on; another ice age to begin with and then something a lot worse? That's really far-fetched. No one would believe us."

"Then we show them the caves!" She protested.

"The caves sealed themselves!" Winston growled. "Hell, I don't even think what we saw was real."

"Explain how we both saw the same thing then," she said heatedly.

"I'm not going over this now," Winston growled, turning away from her. "I saved your tail from the blizzard and we have to get up early tomorrow so we can try to find the school. That's all that matters now, nothing else." He laid his head in his paws and curled up his body, facing away from Eve. She cautiously slunk toward him, but he growled for her to back off. She whimpered and he rolled his eyes, allowing her to lay beside him. She faced away from him as well, their backs to one another.

He felt himself drift to sleep, his breathing slowing and his body relaxing. Eve exhaled loudly and stretched, looking back at him, and then looking away once more. She tapped her claws on the snowy ground and then looked back at him again.

"Winston?" She peeped.

"Go to sleep, Eve," Winston growled.

"Winston…"

"Shut up."

"This is important."

"I don't care."

"Please, Winston?"

"Eve, I'm going to bury you here if you don't shut the hell up."

"Please Winston, it's really, _really_ important!"

"Fine," he growled. "What is it?"

"Thank you for coming back for me," she whispered. He grunted and inched away from her. He didn't know what was more disturbing of his actions: that he'd actually gone back to search for the annoying she-wolf…or that he was starting to like her.

**A/N: Well, that's the chapter for today! Thanks for reading! Thanks to Alexander, the dark shadow, LilyAndMe, The FalconWolf, and OmegaWolf54 for reviewing my last chapter! Also, I start working at my first job next week! (Yes I know, I'm 16 and it may seem odd that this is my first job, but where I live, you need to have a lot of money and good connections, so at least I finally got this one!) Well everyone, until next time!**

**-The Dishonored Wolf**


	7. Frozen Death

_He awoke with the cold seeping into his veins. Long claws seemed to hold onto his body, freezing him to the very core of his being. He shivered violently, curling up tighter, trying to ward off the cold. His fangs chattered together and he could feel the ice freezing his fur to his skin. His first thought was that the bark shield had become loose, letting the cold of another blizzard inside. Yet that didn't make sense; the shield was secured correctly, it shouldn't have moved at all! Still, he had to go check on it. Winston opened his eyes and found himself in a completely different world._

_ The close confines of the snow cave were gone; he was on an empty expanse of ice that stretched every which way for countless leagues. Mountains stood high in the distance, one in particular rising above all others. This mountain was as black as the night. The moon was crimson as though coated in blood, rising above the tip of the mountain, painting the clouds a deep red hue. The stars were absent from the sky. His blue eyes flickered about, examining his surroundings. Wind swept the snow forward across the jagged plains of ice._

_ A low, long howl could be heard from somewhere across the plains of ice. Winston whipped around but could not see anything moving; still, something had most certainly made that noise. He warily began to walk north – or at least, what he thought was north. Without any stars or moon, he could not tell what direction he was going in. Mountains surrounded him on all sides in the far distance many thousands of leagues away. The air was beyond any kind of cold that Winston could fathom; the air froze the blood in his vein, making him shiver violently and uncontrollably. His fangs chattered as he walked forward, his breath coming out in short, haggard gasps, his lungs freezing over every second that he took a breath. His limbs stiffened as he padded forward, freezing more and more as he stayed in the wasteland. The plains suddenly began to darken, the sky turning red as the blood moon enveloped the sky. The massive black mountain jutted into the sky in front of the moon. Winston's eyes narrowed and he headed for the mountain, knowing that, since it seemed to be the closest and largest, he had a better chance of finding a cave to seek refuge in there. _

_ Suddenly, he heard the same distant, blood curdling howl in the distance again. He whirled around, knowing now that it came from behind him. He saw, far in the distance, a black shape trotting many leagues behind him. Two piercing yellow eyes glowed from its face. From what Winston could make out at that distance, the creature appeared to be canine in appearance, though smaller, like a fox. He stopped as it noticed him, staring at him with a keen malevolence. Winston took a shaky breath and kept staring at it._

_ It bolted toward him at breakneck speed before Winston could even react. His eyes widened and he took a few steps back, watching as the creature gained on him. He snapped out of the trance and he whirled around, sprinting at press-paw speed toward the black mountain. The ice that had frozen his body seemed irrelevant now as he ran; nothing he did seemed to get the creature off his tail, however, and he knew that it was absolutely imperative that he reach the mountain before the creature could catch him. He ran out of pure adrenaline and desperation, his eyes watering a bit as he ran. _

_ "Shit, shit, shit," Winston muttered heatedly under his breath. He heard the howl again, closer this time, and he stole a glance back. The creature was less than a league away now. His heart began to race and he did everything in his power to run faster. Suddenly, the ice began to splinter and crack, massive shards rising from the earth and then falling back into the black sea below. A bridge of ice spanned the gap between Winston and the mountain. He looked back and saw several more pairs of yellow eyes running after him as well. "Fuck!" _

_ Winston turned and began to sprint further, his claws slightly unsheathed so he could get a better handling on the ice he ran on; the last thing he desired was to fall into the depths of that ocean. Tears streamed out of his eyes as he ran faster, his limbs burning from the pressure. The waves of the black ocean crashed upon the bridge, drenching him in freezing salt water. Winston shuddered as he felt the cold embrace of the waves, but he continued running forward. He could not, under any circumstances, allow the creatures chasing him to catch up. He was an Alpha, heir to the title of Leaderwolf of the Western Pack of Jasper. He would not be killed by pathetic little ice creatures! Suddenly, a massive tidal wave smashed against the ice bridge, throwing him off. He dug his claws into the side and desperately tried to hold on. The haunting howls and cries of the creatures pursuing him grew closer…and closer…and closer. He dug his claws forward and tried to drag himself up, but to no avail. His claws scratched the ice and he began to slowly slide over the edge._

_ Just before he fell, a paw landed on his and jaws clamped into his scruff pulling him up. He saw tawny fur and the unmistakable form of a she-wolf's body structure. Eve? He didn't have time to contemplate what she was doing, though; they needed to move. The jaws let go and he saw the face of the wolf. It was most certainly not Eve. The face was deformed, coated in a thick layer of blood, yellow eyes peering out from the fractured skull. It snarled and Winston yelped, falling back. The ocean claimed his body, and he saw no more._

Winston bolted upright in his sleep, gasping for air. He looked around and saw nothing but the snowy confines of his makeshift den. He panted heavily, his eyes wide. He heard an agitated groan from his left and saw Eve on the other side of the snow den, her paws pressed tightly against her ears.

"You know," she growled. "I'll admit that I did find you attractive, even having a fantasy of sharing a den with you more often as a she-wolffriend; but now that I know what you do in your sleep, that feeling's gone."

"Good," Winston growled with contempt. "I wouldn't want to sleep with you anyway." Eve stretched and yawned, blinking her eyes. Winston groaned and rolled his eyes. "Sorry for waking you." Eve nodded and tilted her head at him.

"You had a nightmare didn't you?" She asked. He shot her a dark look.

"No, of course I didn't!" He scoffed incredulously. "Alphas don't have nightmares." Eve snorted with contempt and looked up toward the tunnel.

"Do you think it snowed any more last night?"

"Only one way to find out," he padded toward the bark shield and pushed against it. The shield wouldn't budge. He pressed harder, but it did not move. He took several steps back, and then rammed into the shield, throwing it free. Snow fell onto Winston's body, coating him in a thick layer. Eve giggled at him and Winston turned to shoot her an annoyed glare. She maneuvered around him and climbed out of the hole while Winston shook the snow from his fur.

He climbed after her and squinted his eyes as he adjusted to the bright light. The world around them was all snow and ice. Massive icicles hung from the trees, the snow covering the ground nearly a full meter and a half above the ground. Eve's eyes widened as she wandered around the unfamiliar snowscape, a few stray flakes fluttering around them. Winston followed her absently, the odd thing around his neck burning him as he walked.

"This is incredible," Eve murmured, looking around. Winston nodded, grunting in agreement. She turned to him, her eyes wide. "Winston, it's past the time of mating season…the pups…" Winston's eyes narrowed as he understood just what she was getting at. It was not supposed to snow this late in the season; the pups wouldn't be able to survive that kind of cold weather for long, if at all.

"Come on," he growled. "Let's get back to the school."

**Two Hours Later**

The school was buried under the snow. As Winston and Eve arrived after finding their way through the largely unfamiliar forest, they could see many wolves weeping as they dug out the frozen corpses of their Alpha siblings and friends. The new arrivals stood frozen in shock and despair as they saw just what had become of their school. Almost every elder was dead, the ice killing them off before they could react. Several trees had fallen from the weight of the ice, crushing wolves and destroying dens as the Alphas slept. Winston looked about and his eyes widened as he saw the Alpha she-wolf he'd slept with only days earlier crushed under a tree, her eyes wide open in frozen death, blood coating her dead body. He shook his head and looked away, searching for anyone else that he knew.

One of his trainers, an old, grizzled Alpha named Jorge, was ushering the Alphas in larger groups. Winston and Eve padded toward him, the Alpha spotting them.

"Jorge, what's going on?" Winston asked. The experienced Alpha sighed.

"It's not safe here anymore," he replied. "We're shutting down the school. Everyone is to travel back to their own packs. I've been getting groups of survivors together ever since the dawn patrol – or at least, what should have been the dawn patrol…"

"Has anyone from Jasper survived?" He asked.

"Yes, quite a few," Jorge replied. "I've only seen two dead, both from the Southern Pack. You two should go now; it's not safe for you here. If your run, you can catch the Western Jasper group in an hour."

"What about you?" Winston asked him in concern.

"I'm going to make sure everyone is out of here first; new arrivals, trainers, elders, everyone. Once the area is evacuated, I'll try to dig a den here for myself. This is my home."

"You can come with us," Eve suggested. "Our pack will welcome you." Jorge shook his head.

"No; that is not my place. This is my home, the land of my family before they…you know…" Winston nodded.

"Then take care, old friend," Winston said. "Hopefully we'll see each other soon, when this freak storm thaws out." Jorge nodded and motioned for where they were to go. Eve and Winston looked westward, and they began to make the long journey back home.

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter and the VERY long time to update guys. I got a job recently and I've been really busy with it. Plus, Cross Country and school start soon, so I won't have a lot of time to write at all for a while.**

**Also, as you all know, Alpha And Omega 2 is coming out soon and I'm STOKED for it (though the tawny pup on the cover just looks like a uglier version of Eve to be quite honest. The grey pups though…cute as fuck. Anyhow, I'll try to update at least once or twice a week, but for a while, my schedule is kind of crowded. Also, my fanfiction account is all glitch and won't let me see the reviews posted and I already deleted all the emails that say who reviewed. So thank you to everyone who reviewed and thank all of you for your patience! Until next time!**

**-The Dishonored Wolf **


	8. IMPORTANT UPDATE

As many of my fans know, I've been very busy lately. I have a job now, cross country has started, and my Junior year of school is starting in a couple weeks. Unfortunately, I have to keep my writing to a down low. I don't have a lot of time to write anymore, and I apologize for that. I'll try my best to write on the weekends, but my updates will be slow for a while now. I'm sorry for this and I thank you for your continued patience and support.

-The Dishonored Wolf


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